Bloodlines One Shots
by SavannahKristen
Summary: A collection of scenes with the characters from Bloodlines/VA, chosen by you.
1. Chapter 1 Breaking & Entering

_***BEFORE YOU READ THIS, PLEASE NOTE THESE ONE-SHOTS WERE WRITTEN BEFORE RICHELLE MEAD'S, THE INDIGO SPELL, WAS OUT. I BASED THEM OFF OF THE VERSION THAT I WROTE BEFORE THE BOOK WAS RELEASED***_

**Scene Number One; _Adrian asking Rose for help breaking Sydney out of Re-Education. (Requested by someone on Tumblr)_**

**POV: Adrian.**

This was probably one of the craziest things I'd ever done, which was saying something, because if there was an expert on crazy, it would've been me. I was pacing back and forth outside of Rose Hathaway's door, debating whether or not to knock, and that wasn't just because she was probably asleep, and could quite literally kill me for waking her up. I'd already flown across the country for this, and now, I was beginning to ask myself what I had been thinking when I'd left Palm Springs in the first place.

Rose and I had quite the history, after all. I'd met her at a ski-lodge a little over a year ago, and fallen in what I thought at the time was love. I'd done everything in my power to try to get her to return my feelings, and for a few months she had tried to. Then she'd cheated on me in a hotel with a six foot seven, boring ass, rule-abiding, Russian. Granted he was the love of her life and all, and I hadn't even met mine yet, but it still stung.

Said Russian's probably in her room with her, I thought with disgust, not wanting to interrupt any of their illicit activities.

Thinking about love (and yes, illicit activities) as always, made me think of Sydney. Hell, everything made me think of her. On my flight here, I'd seen a woman with a book and found myself wondering if Sydney had read it, which was possible since she'd read just about every book in existence. I'd seen some of the flowers in the royal court's gardens and thought of the lily on Sydney's cheek. If I closed my eyes and concentrated hard enough, I probably could've imagined that Sydney was right here with me.

"Adrian," she would say in that practical way of hers, "it's nearly midnight on your unholy schedule. We shouldn't be out this late. People could get the wrong idea."

"Let them," I would reply with a shrug and a smile.

She'd cross her arms, or put her hands on her hips and give me a sigh, but her golden eyes would twinkle with amusement, though she wouldn't full on laugh. I had to work really hard to get her to give me a genuine, long, laugh. That was one of my favorite things about her. She always expected me to work for everything, and so I did. She-

"What the hell? _Adrian?_ What are you doing?" A voice called, snapping me out of my thoughts. I forced my eyes open and found myself staring down at Rose Hathaway. She was wearing a robe and her long dark hair was messy. She rubbed her eyes as though she were imagining me and needed to reopen her eyes to make sure I was actually there.

"Hey, Little Dhamphir," I replied, crooking her a smile and crossing my arms.

She shook her head at me and threw her hands up in exasperation. "What are you doing out here?"

I considered telling her I wasn't actually here and that this was a spirit dream, where I was making her think I was here, but then decided not to mess with her. Well, not _too_much.

"I believe the real question is what are _you_doing out here? Shouldn't you be in bed with your Russian?"

She gave me a level look, her dark eyes narrowing. "I was up getting water and thought I heard footsteps out here. How did you even get past the guardians outside of the Palace housing?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I talked them into it."

She sighed. "You used compulsion."

"Maybe," I said mysteriously. "Or maybe they just thought I was harmless and didn't pose any real threat. All the decent women are already asleep, after all."

"And yet _I_ stand out here, talking to you." She leaned closer to my face, studying my eyes. "Are you drunk?"

I bit back a comment about how she was indecent. "I wish Little Dhamphir, I wish," I muttered. I actually felt kind of angry that she'd thought I was drunk. Were her expectations of me that low?

"Well then what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in California." Her eyes widened and she lowered her voice during her next words. "You're supposed to be with Jill. You two shouldn't be separated. It's not good for either of you."

"I know, I know, it's just…I need your help with something."

This seemed to pique her interest. "What could be so important that you'd need to fly across the country to talk to me about it?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "It's Sydney," I finally said, refusing to meet Rose's eyes. I could feel her watching me. I'd never spoken out loud about my feelings for Sydney to anyone. The only person who really understood the extent of them was Jill, and that wasn't by her choice; it was through the bond. I'd felt awful about leaving her and Eddie, and even Angeline behind in Palm Springs. But this was something I had to do without them. They needed to stay back in California for Jill's safety.

"What about her?" Rose inquired.

I took a deep breath. "She's in trouble and I need to help her."

"Sydney and trouble don't belong in the same sentence."

"But me and trouble do," I said darkly. "It's my fault she's in trouble in the first place." I hung my head, guilt eating away at my insides.

"How did you get her in trouble?" Rose asked, her dark eyes searching for answers, that I was pretty sure were already clear on my face.

I gave a harsh laugh. "How _didn't_I get her in trouble might be a more appropriate question."

Rose crossed her arms. "Stop being so cryptic. Just spit it out."

"I'm in love with her," I said flatly, meeting Rose's eyes again, wanting to watch her reaction. "And it's the real thing this time," I told her pointedly. Well, I never had been one to beat around the bush with people.

Rose looked absolutely stunned, and to be honest…a little disturbed. "She's a human, Adrian."

My temper flared. "Yeah. I'm aware of that," I snapped. "And I'm a vampire." I looked off. "Why is that all that matters to anyone? We don't fall in love with _what_somebody is; we fall in love with _who_ somebody is. Surely you didn't fall in love with Dimitri because he's a dhamphir."

Rose stilled further at my words, and she studied me. "Damn," she whispered. "You're actually serious about this…about…_her_…"

I sighed tiredly, not wanting to deal with everything pounding in my head. I'd always had trouble controlling my emotions. I didn't know whether it was spirit that made them run so wild, or if it was just something in my nature, but they could be a pain in the ass, especially when they were so strong it became impossible to hide them.

"Will you help me or not?" I finally got out.

Rose exhaled wearily. "You haven't even told me what exactly you need my help with."

"Breaking and entering," I admitted bluntly.

"Oh God," Rose moaned comically. "Do her freaky Alchemists have her locked up somewhere sordid or something?"

She'd said the words as a joke, not knowing how close they were to the truth. I didn't know much about these Re-Education centers, but I knew that Sydney wasn't going to be in one for long, not as long as I was alive. If her crazy-ass superiors hadn't thought I was a monster before (and I was pretty sure they had) they were about to. The day they came across me was going to be a day none of them would forget, I was going to make sure of it.

"Yeah, actually," I replied to Rose's question.

Her eyes widened and then she smirked. "And that's going to be where the breaking and entering comes in, am I correct?"

I nodded. "There's also going to be torture involved," I informed her casually, "If I can get my hands on some of the nuts."

"Well, count me in then," Rose said, smiling a mischievous smile. "You sober enough to torture some bastards and then ride off into the sunset with a human is something I've got to see."

That made two of us.

Btw, if you're really enjoying my Indigo Spell fanfiction, or this one for that matter, follow me on tumblr at_**savannahkristenwrites**_(it won't let me put the link). I'll post deleted scenes, sneak peaks, and answer questions if you have them, ect. (:


	2. Chapter 2 Sydney's Dilemma

**I was trying to get my thoughts flowing a couple of days ago, and I decided to write one of the one-shots one of you suggested. I'll eventually get around to all of them, but not in any particular order. When I write them will depend on the type of mood I'm in, or what kind of scene I need to get my thoughts flowing for.**

**(Spoilery if you're reading my other story and haven't read through chapter sixteen yet) For example, in the most recent chapter of The Indigo Spell, Sydney and Adrian kiss. Before I wrote that, I decided to write this scene someone suggested, so that I could prepare myself to write some lip-action...if that makes any sense, whatsoever, haha.**

**Anyway, I'm babbling, so I hope you guys enjoy this. (: **

**Scene Number Two; _Adrian talking to Sydney about sex and how it's not weird, ect. (Requested by .982. I hope this works. (: ) _**

**POV: Sydney.**

His hands slid down my back, tracing its shape and sending shivers throughout my body. My breathing came heavily and my heart pounded at a rapid rate. I'd never been high before, nor did I ever plan to be, but I imagined it felt something like this. It was completely logical to feel this way I told myself. In situations like the current one I was in, the body releases arousal-stimulating chemicals that signal sexual desire, sexual readiness, hormone levels, fertility and unfathomable emotions.

It was a sad, sad, thing that I knew that from a book I'd checked out from the library a few weeks ago. There were actually plenty of books on sexual attraction and other things of that nature. The librarian had given me a strange look when I'd checked out a few of them. He'd asked me if I was single, and I'd told him not exactly, growing uncomfortable from the topic being brought up in the first place. He'd then informed me that if I ever wanted to know more about sex, that I could just ask him instead of checking out multiple books. That was when I'd decided to start going to a different library.

I'd had to check out such vulgar books because things between me and Adrian were…heating up. Like today, I'd come into his apartment so that he could show me his latest painting and somehow we'd ended up in his bedroom, him pressing me down into the mattress, his mouth hard and desperate on mine. Our shoes were off, as was my shirt, which was becoming routine. That frightened me a bit: I'd always been self-conscious about my body…but when Adrian was kissing me like this, and whispering such eloquent words in my ear, I didn't have time to think about insecurities.

Well, not until we stopped.

Last night, we'd been in a similar situation, but we'd gone so far that the button on my favorite pair of khakis was undone. That had been a wake-up call for me, and even I, Sydney can't hold hands Sage started to realize this was getting serious. I'd freaked out a bit, saying we'd gone too far, and that we needed to be more careful. Adrian had said all I'd had to do was tell him to stop, instead of encouraging him. I'd then left his apartment, a bit irritated, but mainly embarrassed. In short, this current steamy situation was also doubling as a make-up session.

My hands struggled with the buttons on his silk shirt. They were expensive and kept slipping out of my fingers. A low chuckle vibrated through Adrian's chest, and he somehow managed to get his shirt over his head without undoing any of the buttons, and never letting his mouth leave mine. I traced the lines of his bare chest. He had broader shoulders than most Moroi, and though he claimed his hands didn't do manual labor, his lightly muscled arms and abs suggested otherwise.

I sighed and felt Adrian's hands lower even further, completely past my back now. I placed my own hands on his lower back, feeling it arch. Before I could help myself, I blurted out:

"This is more fun than homework."

Adrian's laugh rang through the room at this, and I blushed furiously, not liking it when I said things without thinking first.

"I'm glad you approve, Sage," he growled. "I know all sorts of things that are more fun than homework. Just you wait."

I frowned, a bit confused. "Like what?"

One of his hands slid up under the strap of my bra with lighting speed, and I heard a snap, indicating he'd unfastened it.

It was like a splash of cold water hit me in the face, and I started thinking again.

"Stop," I murmured against his lips.

He obeyed and rolled off of me, lying beside me on the bed. His hair was a complete mess-and not because he'd styled it that way. I didn't want to know what mine looked like. He grinned at me, his emerald eyes twinkling with his usual mischief and yes, desire. It was amazing I could make him this breathless; it just didn't seem possible sometimes.

He took a hand and brushed some of my hair back from my face. "Damn," was all he said. "That was _awesome._"

"We can't do that," I stated formally.

The twinkle in those green eyes brightened. "Well, we just did."

"Adrian," I sighed, tiredly.

He leaned closer. "Say it again, Sydney." He winked.

I resisted the urge to smack him, remembering my bra was unfastened. I look down and fiddled with my hands, mortified.

"Hey," he said gently, scooting even closer and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's normal. I'm sure you know more about the chemicals and stuff-which is actually pretty hot-but it's natural to like…this."

I gave a harsh laugh. "Nothing to be ashamed of?" I scoffed. "Tell the Alchemists that." Tell Jared Sage that, I thought bitterly. I might have gotten where I'd realized the Alchemists were wrong on some of their dogmas and beliefs, but that didn't mean I was completely comfortable just throwing everything I'd been taught under the bus.

"This is your decision, Sydney. This has nothing to do with the Alchemists."

"You just want to keep going," I snapped, out of humiliation, not hostility.

He shrugged. "It's not my decision either. It's all yours." Then his face softened. "But of course I want to keep going. Why wouldn't I? You're beautiful. I love the way it feels to have you against me. I really love it when you-"

I reached up and put my hand over his mouth. "Stop," I said, and then moved my hand back.

He gave a dramatic sigh. "That word will be the death of me one day."

_You and me both,_ I thought, still trying to slow my breathing. Adrian grew silent beside me, and just ran a hand through my hair soothingly. I snuggled closer to his chest and relaxed in the comfort it brought me to be this close to him. I didn't generally like to be close to anyone. Hugging could be a challenge for me, since I didn't like people in my personal bubble.

Lying there, I had to face the realization that one day, eventually in my life, I was going to have sex. The question was did I want to right now? My body said yes…which was quite disturbing, all things considered. I didn't like it telling me such answers. But my heart…that was a different matter. Despite the dim lighting of his bedroom, I could almost see the golden lily on my cheek in his mirror.

He was right when he'd said the Alchemists didn't have anything to do with my decision on this, not directly at least. But I still felt trapped by them, like they still held me in their tight clutches. Until I was free, I couldn't truly give myself to anyone, not even in this way. Making love with someone was such an intense thing, and my virginity was something I could never take back. Once it was gone it was gone, as was that moment…forever.

When I looked back and remembered the time I'd lost my virginity, I didn't want to look back and feel anything but content. If I gave myself to Adrian tonight, I would feel awful in the morning, because I wasn't his yet, not completely.

And I wanted to be his and only his one day, which was exactly why I had to wait.

***Sigh* I had to keep Sydney in character. Remember to tell me if you have a scene you'd like me to write! (: I love all of your ideas. (: There is one thing though: I have to be careful how I write some of these, because I don't want to give away any of my future plans for the other story I'm writing. If I don't write something, it might be because there's something like it coming up. Random scenes like Adrian streaking, or Eddie boogie dancing (idk lol) are easier. Even writing this one was getting kind of risky. **

**Btw, if you're really enjoying my Indigo Spell fanfiction, or this one for that matter, follow me on tumblr at _savannahkristenwrites_ (it won't let me put the link). I'll post deleted scenes, sneak peaks, and answer questions if you have them, ect. (:**


	3. Chapter 3 Adrian's Tips on Seduction

**Recently Penguin Teen Australia has been tweeting non-spoiler torture tweets as they read through The Indigo Spell. **

**Twitter-PenguinTeenAus **

**I actually planned to write a scene like this in my version of The Indigo Spell, but I decided to replace it with Marcus calling Sydney revolting in Chapter 15. So this is a bit different and longer version, but the same concept. The scene starts off at Adrian's apartment, and he and Sydney are discussing a way to get Marcus to reveal some of the secrets he's hiding. Adrian suggests that Sydney should flirt the answers out of him, and that's where this one-shot starts.**

**Also, if you haven't read my version of how I think the Indigo Spell could go, Marcus's behavior might be really weird. If you have read it, you'll understand why he's acting the way he is lol.**

"Who knows more about male weakness: you or me? Use my knowledge, Sage." **(AN: This an actual teaser quote from the book.)**

I sighed. "Adrian, flirting with him is not going to get him to tell me anything." I sank down onto the couch in his apartment, resting my head in my hands. "I don't even know_ how_ to flirt."

He sat down beside me and shrugged. "Then I'll teach you."

I scoffed. "You'll _teach _me?"

"Of course." His green eyes sparkled with mischief, and he gave me a playful nudge. "Who better to teach you than the master?"

I had to admit, he was good at it. He was certainly better than me. I still wasn't sold on his plan though. I didn't think that anything was going to make Marcus tell what his big secret was. This thing that he, Ms. Terwilliger, and the rest of the witch club were keeping from me wasn't something that I'd be able to get out of anyone easily.

"And you really think it will work?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Sage. He might be an ex-Alchemist, but he's still a man."

I nodded brusquely. Adrian did have a valid point, obviously, but I didn't think I would ever be alluring enough to get information out of someone, let alone a cynical ex-Alchemist.

Still, I found myself saying, "Alright. Start teaching."

He grinned. "My pleasure. Now," he turned so that he could face me. "Seduction is a delicate art. To use it, you must first respect it."

I shook my head, rolling my eyes. "I cannot believe I'm agreeing to this."

"The first thing you need is confidence. You need to know that you're sexy."

Heat came to my face at the way he'd said the words. "You can't be serious," was all I could manage to say.

"I can be whatever the hell I want," he shot back cockily. "And that's the attitude that you need to have when you close in on your target."

"Adrian! Marcus is _not_ a target."

"Oh yes he is. The second thing you have to do is…" he frowned like he was searching for the right word. "Be mysterious. Don't ever be completely obvious about your motives."

"I-what? How am I supposed to be _mysterious_?"

Adrian leaned forward and softly brushed a little hair behind my ear, trailing his fingers slightly down my face as he pulled back. He gave a soft chuckle, a bit of a resigned sadness in it, his emerald eyes blazing.

"What?" I asked, having frozen. I could still feel warmth where he'd touched me. It was as though his fingers were still there, lightly tracing my cheek.

"Nothing," he said quietly, looking away for a moment with a troubled look. I grabbed his arm.

"Adrian-"

When he turned back to face me, his grin was as big as a Cheshire cat's. Something about my expression made his smile widen further. "That's how you act mysterious, Sage."

I flushed bright red, and resisted the urge to smack him. "This is-"

"The third thing you have to do," he began, cutting me off, "is make him _think_ he's winning. Men love to feel macho. They _love_ to be right, so make him think that he is, even if you disagree with every single word he's saying. Compliment him; make him feel good about himself."

I was still trying to calm my heart from his "mysterious" demonstration, when he leaned closer to me, watching me thoughtfully.

"I _love_ how big your heart is," he said, all traces of humor gone from his face. "With the way our world is today, so calculating and fast-paced, it's rare to meet someone that still values things like character. You're a breath of fresh air, Sydney."

"I…" I was flustered, to say the least. It was then I saw the twinkle in his eyes. "Oh just stop it, will you?" I snapped.

He gave me a look of such innocence, if I didn't know him as well as I did, I would've said he wouldn't have ever caused trouble. "Stop what? Complimenting you? I apologize for being honest. I figured honesty was something someone like yourself would appreciate."

"Adrian!" I chastised, in disbelief.

He pulled back and propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of us. "Alright. That's the best I've got. Now, you get the pleasure of trying to seduce me."

"No," I said.

He shrugged. "Fine. Go try it out on Marcus and let your nerves get the best of you. You're a world class rebel now. You don't need to practice, you full time seductress."

"Stop it!" I hissed. "I'll try it, okay?"

He perked up, and gave me a side-long glance. "Well then, Sage. Seduce away."

I shook my head, and tried to remember his tips. I willed the earth to swallow me whole. This was going to be disastrous, but it would be even more-so if I didn't at least try it first.

"Should I just start off by saying 'hey'?" I asked uncertainly.

Adrian sighed,but there was humor in his voice. "What kind of seducer asks how they should start flirting? Come on now, Sage. Even your ex Brody would've known better than to do that."

"It's _Brayden_," I corrected, my blush deepening.

Adrian groaned. "Alright, I'll make it easier on you. I'll pretend to be Marcus. I'll start off."

He took all of the playful edge out of voice when he spoke, his tone much more serious and stuffy:

"There are a lot of things about this world that I don't understand. I don't understand why you won't leave the Alchemists, but most of all, I can't begin to fathom why you spend so much time with that infuriating vampire, Adrian Ivashkov." He gave a long sigh, continuing his impression, "If I'm being honest with myself, I'm probably just letting my jealousy get the best of me. After all, Adrian is such a magnificent man. His easy-going nature and effortless charm are two things I can never begin to compete with. I gave up on that a long time ago. I can never be those things."

He paused to reconsider. "Well, I can never be as great at them as Adrian is. I mean, have you seen how women react to the man?" A look of mock horror crossed his face. "They throw themselves at him. It's _shameful._" Adrian sighed again and shook his head. "But I shouldn't let it get to me like I do. I'm above such things."

I was about to say that Marcus would never, under any circumstances, say anything Adrian had just said, but then a grand idea came to me.

"Adrian is…something," I said. "But _you_ are so much more. Comparing you to him is like comparing the Sistine Chapel to the graffiti that marks almost every building in downtown Los Angeles."

Adrian tensed. "Oh, I don't know about that now."

"Oh but you must. Don't be so modest, as if he could ever hold a candle to you," I insisted.

"But he's so charismatic, not even including his stellar wit. And have you seen him, Sydney?" He gave me a questioning look. "He's so handsome too. I have never met anyone who drips with such raw sex-appeal."

I was working really hard to remain serious. "But he goes to _community college._ You could get accepted to Yale or Harvard."

"Maybe if I hadn't led such a troubled life," Adrian looked off into the distance. "Maybe then."

I don't know which one of us started to laugh first, but before long both of us were near tears. I felt myself relaxing in spite of everything.

Adrian managed to speak first, and I was surprised I could hear him as I kept breaking out into spontaneous laughter. "You don't happen to know where Marco's at, do you?"

I thought for a moment. "I think he's at the Public library, the one not far from here. He said he was going to go look up a few things tonight."

Adrian chuckled. "Well, I say I give you a ride to the library, you go in and flirt the information out of the poor guy, and then I'll give you a ride back to Amberwood."

I sighed. "Are you sure this is okay? I mean, he's been nice to me, all things considered."

Adrian gave me a look that said I was being ridiculous. "Do you think flirting with him is mean or something?"

"Not exactly…but it's wrong. And I really don't think it'll work," I admitted.

Adrian placed his hands on my shoulders. "The first thing you need is confidence, remember? You have to know you're sexy." He gave me a reassuring smile, instead of a smirky one. "If a girl as beautiful and bright as you flirting with him doesn't get him to spill his secret, nothing will."

I nodded and put on a brave face, trying to hide the affect his words had on me. "Okay. Let's do this."

* * *

We arrived outside of the library, and I was trying to reassure myself when Adrian spoke.

"Make sure you take your phone with you," he said. "I want updates on your progress."

I sighed. "Okay."

Adrian pushed my door open. "Go get him Sage. Remember, you had lessons from the master."

I smiled in spite of myself and treaded up the library's steps. I entered the front door. As I looked around the room, I forgot how small Amberwood's library was compared to others. Shelves and shelves of books lined the walls of the Palm Springs Public Library. There was a spiral staircase in the middle that led up to yet another floor of books. This library was also quiet unlike Amberwood's, which was filled with high school students trying to socialize. I looked around in wonder, and then quickly snapped myself out of my haze. I was here on a mission. Up on the top level I caught sight of some isolated tables.

I made my way up the spiral staircase, and spotted Marcus at the farthest table in the corner, his attention focused on the thick book he was reading. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that this had to be done. Adrian said it would work, and I trusted him. I did my best to throw all insecurities and self-respect out the window as I made my way to Marcus.

He looked up before I could take a seat, having sensed another magic user. He seemed surprised.

"Sydney?" Marcus asked, brushing some blonde hair out of his face. "What are you doing here?"

_Confident, mysterious, and complimentary. Confident, mysterious, and complimentary, _I kept repeating in my head.

"Checking out a book," I said. In an attempt to look confident, I pulled out the chair right next to him, and sank down in it, propping my chin up on my hands to look at him. Just as I did, I felt my phone vibrate. I'd placed it in the pocket of my khakis and I pulled it out quickly. I had a text from Adrian.

_Don't forget to get up in his personal bubble._

I nearly groaned, and slid the phone back into my pocket. I scooted my chair closer to Marcus so that I could "see the book he was reading better."

"What's that book about?" I asked, trying to look extremely interested. "It's_ really _big." I had to make him feel smart, I reminded myself. In truth the book was probably about four-hundred pages, which I felt was rather small.

Marcus frowned. "It's about a revolution. And how can you think _this_ is big? Didn't Jared make you read War and Peace?"

Mysterious, now I needed to be mysterious. "I was supposed to read it," I lied. "But I didn't."

Marcus looked surprised. "How did you pass the test he gave on it then?"

"Sparknotes," I blurted.

Marcus gave me a scrutinizing look. "There's no way in hell you could've passed that test by reading the ambiguous information found on Sparknotes."

I racked my brain for a distraction before sheer-panic set in. I looked down at Marcus's book. "You would be reading a book about revolution," I sighed, trying to smile. "Let me guess the story. Some guy gets sick of being oppressed and decides to break the rules for the promise of freedom. That doesn't sound like anyone I know." I looked at him pointedly.

He stared at me for a moment and finally said, "It's actually a nonfiction book. It's about the American Revolution. But I'm sure that a lot of young men felt oppressed and were willing to give anything up for freedom."

"What better cause to fight for?" I asked, smiling. "I wish I was brave enough."

Marcus was still watching me, appearing a bit bewildered. "I think that you are…"

I shook my head and looked down. "No I'm not. I'm not like you." I met his eyes again, trying to look at him admiringly. Was I supposed to bat my eyelashes too? I didn't know what was fact and what was fiction when it came to flirting.

He frowned. "Why are you being so... nice to me? Let me guess: you magically blew something up and now you need me to help undo the spell."

I laughed, trying to make it sound pleasant. "Why do there always have to be ulterior motives with you? Have the Alchemists destroyed every bit of faith in people you have?"

He appeared to relax a little, and laughed along with me, though there was a nervousness to the sound. "Kind of sad, huh?"

I nodded. "Maybe, but it still doesn't take away from what you did. Even if I act stubborn about it sometimes, it was really brave."

He nodded, seeming to grow uncomfortable again. Was he ever going to get it? I was being confident. I was being kind of mysterious. I was complimenting him. I hoped _I _wasn't this annoying to flirt with.

Maybe I wasn't making my intentions clear enough. "And you left the Alchemists for love too," I said. "Which is a really noble reason."

Marcus's only response was to nod awkwardly and then look back down at his book.

I pulled out my phone and sent Adrian a text:

_This isn't working at all. And I'm doing everything you told me to. _

A few moments later, he replied:

_Don't panic. You've got to up the seduction. Find a way to touch him. Tell him his shirt's soft or something. Doesn't he like dress-shirts? _

I sighed, growing more doubtful of this plan with each passing second. I lightly felt the fabric of Marcus's shirt. He jumped and gave me startled look.

"What material is this?" I asked him, still trailing my fingers across his sleeve. "It feels like one-hundred percent cotton."

He moved his arm away slowly, and continued to stare at me. "It is..."

I gave him a confused look, trying not to look fazed. "Is something up? You're acting…weird," I said.

He scoffed. "_I'm_ acting weird?"

"Yes," I said. "Why?" I reached out and placed my hand over his as a last resort. This was already a train wreck anyway.

"Can you…not…touch me?" He asked, looking horrified.

I pulled my hand back. "Is there something wrong?" I tried to look as innocent as Adrian had earlier.

Marcus nodded about one-hundred times. "There is something _really _wrong." He scooted away from me. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you like it?" I asked.

He got up from the table. "No, no I don't and you shouldn't either." He ran a hand through his blonde hair, looking absolutely petrified. "Don't look at me like that, and please, _please,_ don't touch me like that…_ever._" Marcus shook his head. "I think I'm going to go." He looked down to his book which was still sitting on the table.

I took it in my hands and stood up to give it to him. "Here. Don't want-"

Marcus began to back away. "No, no you can keep it. Well, check it out I mean."

"I suck at being seductive," I finally groaned.

Marcus looked even more disturbed than before, and I hadn't thought that was possible.

"What? Why are you trying to be seductive?" He asked frantically.

"I-"

"Sydney, you're a very intelligent, pretty girl but trust me when I say we can never… I'm sure you'll make someone very happy, um, and that someone is _definitely _not me." He seemed at a loss for words.

"I don't-"

"I come with a lot of extra baggage, you know? I mean, I'm _really _screwed up in the head."

"Will you-"

"And you don't want a fixer-upper, okay?" He was practically pleading with me.

A few people were looking over now, and I wondered what they thought. All they saw was a teenage girl talking to a mortified looking college aged guy. They probably thought I had told him I was pregnant or something.

"I'm not doing this because I want to; I'm doing it because Adrian thought if I flirted with you, you'd tell me whatever secrets you and the rest of the witch club are keeping from me!" I finally let out.

If people hadn't been staring before, then they definitely were now. My yelling of the words "witch club" probably hadn't helped matters. Wasn't my job to keep the supernatural a secret?

Marcus didn't look angry whatsoever. In fact, he looked as though the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. "Oh, okay." He sighed in relief. "In that case…" he walked forward to me. "Give me my book."

I handed the book over, a bit stunned.

He said goodbye and started to leave. He gave me one last look, and I swore he was stifling laughter all the way out of the library.

**Haha, I will try to get to all of your one-shots written as soon as I can. This one was just too good to pass up. I got inspired so I wrote it. (: **


	4. Chapter 4 Date Night - APOV

**A few of you have either messaged me or commented saying that you'd be interested in this one, and I've been working on it for a while.**

**Scene Number Four; Chapter 16 (Date Night) from The Indigo Spell (my fanfic) in Adrian's POV.**

**POV: Adrian.**

_Dear Mom,_

_I know that you must think that I've forgotten you by now, but I promise that isn't the case at all. I've been trying to reach you ever since they locked you away. As always though, Dad wants nothing to do with me, and has been refusing to give up your location. A very special friend of mine found a work around, and that's how I'm able to send you this letter. _

_ First off, I'd like to announce that I'm sober while writing this. I've been sober for nearly a month now. Well, I had a bottle of champagne on New Year's, but trust me, if I told you what all happened New Year's Eve, I think you'd understand. Also, it's been nearly a month since I've had a cigarette. Please, do try not to let out a loud whooping noise as you're reading this. I know it must be hard. _

_ I've enrolled in a college near where I'm staying. It's called Carlton College, and they have an amazing art program. I take two classes there, and the best thing is that I actually show up this time. The paintings I paint sober are even better than the ones I used to paint when I was drunk. My drunken masterpieces will always have a place in my heart though. _

_ I feel a lot better than I've felt in…well, ever, actually. I've made some great friends here, that are actually good influences. I promise these friends don't wake up next to people of questionable virtue every other morning. One of them (the one that helped me find you) is a bit of a bossy buzz-kill, and will set me straight if I put a toe out of line. The cool thing is, she doesn't expect me to screw things up. Now, she certainly doesn't think I'm a saint or anything, but she doesn't think I'm a lost cause either. _

_ Anyway, I promise to get up to Maine to visit you as soon as I can. It'll take a little while though, because I'm kind of stuck right now. But I had to write you this, because I didn't want you to feel like I didn't care. Because I do care. I care a lot. _

_ Love,_

_ Adrian_

I folded the letter in half, and sealed in it the addressed envelope on the counter, my heart heavy. Feeling accomplished, I went out to my trusty Ford Mustang and started her engine. The closest Guardian's office was about sixty miles outside of town, practically in the middle of the desert. I knew they would make sure the letter got to my mother, and a pang of relief flooded through me. It was as though a weight had been lifted off of my chest, when I handed it to one of the Guardians a couple of hours later.

I drove back into town, finding myself stuck in Palm Springs rush hour traffic.

"This is what you get for oversleeping, you lazy bastard," I muttered to myself. While I was waiting for what had to be the world's longest red-light to change, I started to get restless. This was driving me crazy, which was unfortunate, because I didn't have far to go.

Making me even jumpier was the fact that I was going to be late meeting Jill and Sydney for our fun Friday night. Our "fun Friday night" consisted of going to a crazy old vampire's house to get blood. And by old, I mean ancient. I didn't really know how Clarence Donahue was still hanging on.

A cute brunette suddenly caught my eye in the lane next to me. She was human, and waved at me, looking hopeful. At one time, I would've waved back. Today however, I didn't. She looked disappointed.

She _was_ cute, though…

But her hair could've been lighter; her eyes could've been more golden, and her face could've been covered with less make-up. Maybe if I squinted extra-hard, those things could happen. Yet no matter how hard I searched, no one could rival Sydney's beauty.

Growing stressed, I reached into my pocket for a cigarette. I swore when I remembered I wasn't smoking anymore, and turned up the radio. A familiar song was playing and I decided to sing along as a distraction. About halfway through my performance, I hit a difficult falsetto note with stunning accuracy.

"Nice," I told myself, approvingly.

I turned to look at the cute brunette in the car next to me. Whatever attraction she'd felt initially had vanished, after my performance. I must've been dripping with so much sex appeal; she just had to get away from me. That was what I told myself when she floored it as soon as the light changed to green.

* * *

When I arrived at Amberwood, I found Sydney and Jill waiting for me out in the parking lot.

"Hey Jailbait." I greeted Jill first and shielded my eyes from the sun. Her aura lit up a little upon seeing me, but still seemed to be dimmer that usual. Her aura was generally a blue color, which represented her caring and sensitive nature. Today it was surrounded by a few darker colors that signaled hurt, and a tiny bit of resentment. I had a feeling the darker colors had something to do with Eddie's date with Angeline. I quickly tried to think of something else before Jill managed to slip in my head.

I turned to Sydney, and didn't bother trying to hide my smirk as I looked her over. She was dressed as professionally as usual. She had on neat khaki pants that hugged her figure a bit more than I was prepared for, a white blouse and a navy blazer. I'd never thought I'd find such clothes so tempting, but I did. Unlike a lot of girls I knew, Sydney didn't dress promiscuously, though she certainly could've pulled such a style off better than most. It made her that much harder to resist.

"Sage," I gave her a nod as a greeting. "Nice khakis. Is that a new pair?"

A bit of color flooded her cheeks, as she tried to maintain a sarcastic, casual front. "Yes, actually. I'm surprised you noticed."

"It's hard not to notice everything about you, Sydney," Jill gushed suddenly, eyeing Sydney in a dreamy sort of way.

Sydney took a step back, crossing her arms. "Well, I suppose not, if you're a naturally observant-"

I cleared my throat quickly. "Let's get on the road. I'm looking forward to seeing old crazy Clarence." My words were complete bullshit, purely for distraction. One of the worst and most humiliating side-effects to my bond with Jill was that she would sometimes voice my feelings instead of her own.

Jill frowned at me, confused by the turn in my mood. "No you're not, you-"

I gave her a stern look, conveying my feelings through the bond. "Yes, I am."

Jill finally nodded, looking remorseful as she realized what was going on. "Right, right."

As Jill hopped in the passenger's seat, I saw Sydney freeze just before she climbed into the back. The light breeze fanned some of her blonde hair around her face. She appeared to be deep in thought and her aura spiked a brighter yellow than usual, signaling stress. For a moment, I grew worried she might faint.

I moved closer to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder as an attempt to steady her. I immediately regretted the action, knowing she didn't like it when I was this close to her. Still, I could never force myself to stay away.

"You okay? What's up?" I asked her earnestly.

She averted her eyes in the way she did when she was upset about something. "You know the whole Simone thing? And how one of her henchmen followed us to your apartment the other night?" She asked.

Of course I do, I thought. She had absolutely no idea how much the situation with Simone had been on my mind since I'd found out about the matter. I'd been losing sleep over it, my thoughts churning even more than usual at night with ways to help.

"You're worried about someone following us to Clarence's," I finally stated. To be honest, I was a bit worried myself. "I could make you a spirit charm like I did for Jill at Sonya's wedding," I suggested uneasily.

"No," Sydney said immediately. I hadn't really expected otherwise. She hated letting people help her; she preferred to help herself. It was one of the most wonderful yet equally frustrating aspects of her personality. I frowned, debating whether or not to push my suggestion any further.

"Does Jill know about Simone?" She suddenly asked seriously, pulling me from my thoughts. "That's my main concern. I already have a charm," she explained. "It makes me look like a different person to people who don't know I have it on. If Jill doesn't know I have it on…I won't look like me."

I frowned. "She could definitely already know about it. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I found out," I admitted, almost sheepishly. "I've been-"

Suddenly, the driver's side window rolled down. Jill was leaned over the seat and poked her head out of the window, looking guilty.

"I already know, Sydney but I won't tell anyone, I swear," Jill began. "Not even Eddie or Angeline. Honestly, I think it's kind of like really awesome you can do magic. I mean, you were so good that night at Adrian's apartment. I wouldn't want to mess with you. I mean, I wouldn't want to even if you couldn't do magic but…" she took a breath nervously. "I won't tell anyone," she repeated, finishing her babbling.

_Always in my head,_ I thought grumpily. Jill certainly got the worst end of the bond though, I reminded myself.

Sydney sighed and pulled out an old, exotic looking ring from her giant purse. She slid the charmed ring on and I narrowed my eyes, waiting for her to transform into someone else.

"You still look the same to me," I said. "Blonde hair. Lily tattoo. New khakis."

"The charm's working," she told me and Jill, and then she moved away from me slowly, climbing into the car. As the three of us got on the road, I found myself trying to cheer Jill up. I knew she felt kind of awkward being with just me and Sydney, considering all of the emotional baggage between us. Every now and then, I would catch Sydney studying me in one of my mirrors, her eyes warm and soft. My only response was to smile, and continue on with my stories.

When we finally arrived at the Clarence's house, I was surprised to see a small white box type thing on the wall by his front door. Further examination showed the controls to a security system.

"Who would've installed a security system? Even the great and mighty Belikov wasn't qualified to do that," I remarked.

Sydney studied the system a bit longer, and I was pretty sure she was determining the make and model. "I'm not sure…" she admitted, a bit reluctantly. Sydney didn't like not knowing things, even things as trivial as who installed a security system.

"Marcus? Is that you?" We heard Clarence call from further inside the house.

"It's Adrian, Jill, and Sydney," Jill called out. Sydney and I followed her through the long twists and turns to Clarence's living room. When we entered his living room, the old vampire was sitting in his trusty recliner, looking around alertly.

He frowned at me. "What's your name again young man?"

"Adrian," I responded tiredly. I didn't really aim to make an impression on the old man, but it would've been nice if he could've at least remembered my name.

His gaze turned inward. "How do I always forget you…?" He turned to Sydney. "And you're Sydney, of course. Marcus talks about you all of the time."

I stiffened, a dark feeling coiling in the depths of my chest. "Oh he does, huh? Who would've guessed that?" I inquired dryly.

"He's been um, helping me with some stuff," Sydney told the old vampire, trying to ignore my smirk.

Clarence nodded thoughtfully. "He's nice a young man that Marcus."

"Great," I grumbled. "Even the old man's vouching for him."

It was ridiculous, really. Sure, Marcus Finch seemed nice enough, and as much as it killed me to admit it, he was good for Sydney in a way. She needed someone to constantly push her to question the Alchemists, someone who understood the system as well as she did.

Jill shot me a look and smoothed her shirt down nervously. "Well, I'm going to go get my blood."

Clarence snapped out of his daze, and told Jill that Dorothy would be waiting in her bedroom. Clarence and I got into a discussion about ways to remember my name, and Sydney interrupted us.

"Mr. Donahue?" She asked, as politely as she could manage.

"Eh? Yes?" He turned to her, and pushed his spectacles further up his nose.

"Did you say you had a library here?"

"Why, yes. I do. Lots of books up in there."

"What else would there be?" I muttered quietly.

Sydney didn't bother to acknowledge my comment. "Would it be alright if I checked it out?" she asked him.

Clarence nodded, smiling warmly. He seemed to have a soft spot for her, and how could he not really? Sydney was too likeable for her own good. Not only was she beautiful, but she had a kindness that she couldn't help but radiate, no matter who she was talking too.

"Yes, yes, sure," the old vampire told her. "Go up the stairs and it's the last door on the left."

She thanked him and left the room. I couldn't help but relax once she was gone, and that wasn't because I didn't like being around her. It was precisely the opposite. I loved being around her, far too much for either of our own goods.

I took my alone time with Clarence as an opportunity to fish for answers on the mysterious Marcus Finch.

"So," I began, sinking onto one of his couches. "This Marcus Finch, he's a nice guy, huh?"

Clarence nodded eagerly. "Oh yes. He saved me from the hunters, you know."

I sighed. "Did he install that security system you've got?" Marcus had once been an Alchemist, and seemed to be almost as freakishly smart as Sydney. If there was anyone that could've installed a security system, it would've been him.

"He did," Clarence confirmed.

"And he talks about Sydney a lot? What all does he say about her?" I prompted, trying to hide the bitterness in my tone.

Clarence's face scrunched up as he searched for an answer. I looked to his aura, and as always it puzzled me. It was almost non-existent. The colors were all blurred together, and I wondered what had caused the old man to be so scattered. Well, besides the murder of his niece and psychopathic son.

"He wants to help her," Clarence finally said. "But he says she's as stubborn as he was."

I understood what Marcus meant about Sydney being stubborn, but at the same time, I wasn't so sure it was her stubbornness keeping her from listening to him. A lot of times, I felt like she just had so much on her shoulders, ignoring the truth about the Alchemists was what kept her from breaking.

"I wish he could've helped Tamara." Clarence's face took on a haunted look as he mentioned his niece. "But he wasn't here."

I frowned, not quite following how the conversation had switched to Clarence's niece. I wasn't surprised though. It wasn't unusual for Clarence to get off topic.

"Marcus, you mean? Was he close with your niece?" I asked the old vampire.

Clarence nodded. "Very close."

His words caused me to consider something. Sydney had said that Marcus left the Alchemists because he'd fallen in love with a vampire. I suddenly wondered if it was Tamara he'd been in love with. By Clarence's words, it sounded like Marcus hadn't been around to help when Tamara was murdered. Grudgingly, I found myself feeling a bit of sympathy for the ex-Alchemist. I couldn't imagine the guilt he probably carried around.

Jill re-entered the room before I could ask Clarence any further questions. "Your turn," she told me, looking refreshed after just a drink of blood. I messed up her hair as I left the room to get my blood. I went through the motions of satisfying my nutritional needs. I decided to go check out Clarence's mysterious library, unable to miss out the opportunity to harass Sydney over whatever book she had her nose stuffed in. I also wanted to talk to her more about what she'd told me a few days ago: that she'd been adopted.

I followed the long twists and turns until I reached the library's door, and then I slowly pushed it open. Sydney was sitting at a table in the center of the room, and jumped when she heard me enter.

"Am I interrupting a good book?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't call it that…more like a horror novel."

"I'll make a nice addition to the atmosphere then, being a vampire and all," I said, walking over and sinking into the seat next to her. She turned her chair so that she could face me, and the low lighting of the desk lamp illuminated her golden eyes and hair. Looking at her, it wasn't all that hard to believe she wasn't entirely human. There was something almost otherworldly about her beauty when the light hit her a certain way.

"How are you doing?" I asked gently.

She didn't seem to realize what I was referring to quite yet, or rather she was refusing to.

"Okay…" she said.

"You don't have to be strong for me," I told her seriously. "I know that all of this has got to be getting to you. Simone. The fact you're adopted. Marco creeping around trying to talk you into leaving the Alchemists."

She put on a gruff face, blatantly trying to ignore what I was getting at. "I'm good at multi-tasking," she told me, as a feeble attempt to make light of something serious.

I didn't smile. "I never said you weren't Sage. But I also told you in the car when I picked you up from the airport, that we weren't done talking about all of this. You've got to let it out to someone."

She sighed, and let her hands fall into her lap. "Why do you keep helping me?" She asked me.

"Because I want to," I said simply, echoing the same words she'd said to me once, when I'd been dealing with my own personal demons. I still remembered the night the blackout in my apartment like it was yesterday. I remembered our hands brushing; I remember the precise moment when I'd realized just what I was feeling for her.

"Do you know who your birth parents are?" I asked, hoping to hide any of my other thoughts.

She nodded. "They seemed like they were really good people."

I stiffened. "Were…?"

"They're dead," She told me, emotionlessly.

On instinct, I reached out to where her hands were resting in her lap, and gently brushed her fingertips against mine. A familiar warmth burned where we'd touched.

"I'm so sorry," I told her earnestly, eventually taking her hands into mine completely.

She shrugged, trying to act as though it was no big deal, but her aura and as always her eyes gave her inner pain away.

"My mom's sister, Sarah, is actually my birth mother," she explained. "And she married some warlock named Michael…but I never really knew them, so it's okay."

I squeezed her hands tighter, and I felt her squeezing back, needing the comfort. It felt good to be able to offer her some.

"But they were still your parents, Sage. And no kid is better off without their parents," I said pointedly. My dad had spent the duration of his life too involved in politics to care much about me. My mother had spent the duration of her life too busy dealing with my dad to have time for me. My parents might have lived with me, but sometimes, I felt like I'd lived alone, like I'd never really had them.

She gave in and nodded, tears shining in her eyes. "You know what the worst part about the adoption thing was though?"

"What?" I asked gently.

"My parents kept it from me. I hate being left in the dark. It makes me feel like…I don't know…like I'm not good enough for the truth. Like, everyone thinks I can't handle it, or that I'm better off not knowing it."

"Did the Alchemists know?" I asked quietly.

She closed her eyes and then reopened them, like she was shaking the thought from her head. "I really hope not."

We were quiet for a few moments, and then she changed the subject.

"Jill said you wrote a letter for your mom and took it to the Guardian's Office so that they could mail it," she said.

I nodded. "I did. Thank you so much, Sage. That was the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten." And it was true. Sure I'd been given things in my life, a lot more than most people, but the gifts I got were never personal. They were merely materialistic items that held no emotional value whatsoever.

"Even though it was on a sticky note?" She asked sheepishly.

"Even though it was on a sticky note," I repeated, finally smiling a little bit.

She smiled and looked down again, her aura glowing with a multitude of emotions. Because of her composed exterior, people never guessed the love, the confusion, and the sadness she sometimes felt. I always did though. I understood Sydney better than I'd understood anyone in my life. Sometimes I believed that was part of the reason she wouldn't look directly at me for too long. When she did, it forced her to be open; it forced her to recognize someone knew she was just as vulnerable as everyone else.

"If your parents were here, you know what?" I asked, wanting to ease some of her worry and pain, even if it was just for a moment. I drew circles into her palms with my fingertips.

"What?"

"They'd be _so_ proud of you," I said.

She met my eyes in disbelief. "I don't know about that," she whispered.

"Why wouldn't they be? Some crazy witch is after you, but you're refusing to give up, even though the magic is something you've been taught to hate. You never do give up, you never will, even though sometimes, God knows, you have to feel like you want to."

She shook her head and wiped a tear that had trickled down her cheek.

"Someone would have to be crazy, not to be proud of you. Hell, someone crazy is proud of you too." I made a cuckoo noise and pointed to myself. She laughed in spite of everything, and I felt a surge of pride that I'd made her smile when she was in such a dark, confused place.

She was studying me, her golden eyes widening. I could almost see the wheels of her mind turning, attempting to calculate everything that she was feeling. But then something changed. Her face relaxed, and I could see that she was moving away from over-analyzing everything. Her eyes softened, her long lashes casting heavy shadows on her cheeks.

She pulled her hands from mine and reached out, placing one on either side of my face. Our lips met, and I froze for a moment, shocked. I didn't stay frozen for long though. Sydney's soft lips parted and kissed mine eagerly, and I felt my own respond with just as much fervor. I knotted one hand in her soft hair and my other hand clutched the small of her back.

This kiss was more intense than our first. One of her hands ran continuously through my hair, while the other trailed down my torso, her fingertips leaving a trace of heat wherever they touched.

My body reacted hungrily, and not only because it'd been a long time since I'd done this sort of thing, but also because this was _Sydney. _This wasn't some random girl who I would never see again. This was someone who understood me, someone who saw something inside of me, someone who had saved me from my pain, my hopelessness. This was someone who had saved me from myself.

My heart was pounding, my head swimming with the taste of her lips, the scent of her skin. I murmured her name softly, when I had enough air. She gripped me tighter and I pulled her closer, lowering my hands just beyond the small of her back. Every inch of her body pressed against mine and my thoughts ran wild. I fought against the urge to push her down on top of the table next to us. I had to remind myself that she didn't do this sort of thing often. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her off.

Unexpectedly, there was a loud crash downstairs. I froze and pulled away, my ears having heard the crash much louder than Sydney's.

"Dammit," I growled. "Really?"

Talk about bad timing. Was I ever going to catch a break with this sort of thing?

Sydney's cheeks were flushed, and she looked down at how close she had come to being on my lap. She watched me with wide eyes, and I waited for her to tell me it was a mistake. I waited for her eyes to fill with guilt. Instead, she appeared…embarrassed. Before I could reassure her, she spoke.

"We should go," she whispered. "Jill's probably waiting."

I nodded, still a bit shocked she hadn't jumped back in fear or disgust. A rush of hope coursed through my veins, and I tried to hide it as we left the library.

"Jailbait?" I called, half-strutting into Clarence's kitchen.

"Jill?" Sydney's voice echoed through Clarence's huge house, almost sounding eerie.

I frowned. "That's weird…maybe she's not listening for us…?"

We walked into the living room, and that was when we realized something was terribly wrong. Clarence was still in his recliner, but there was blood coming from a wound on his head…like he'd been knocked out.

And Jill was nowhere in sight.


	5. Chapter 5 Original Fight Scene

**All right guys. Allow me to explain this chapter before you read it. **

**I've had a serious case of writer's block recently, and it's prevented me from updating The Fiery Heart. I'm working my best to get past it, but a few of you really want something to read, so I went back through my old documents and found this: the original version of the Simone scene (or the build up to it, I guess). This scene follows Sydney as she visits Marcus's apartment (though she's not with Adrian this time) to ask him about the Alchemists and make up after their fight in Chapter 21. When she arrives, he isn't there, and the apartment is ransacked. The part where she finds out he's her brother is the same, but the rest of the events take place differently. **

**I hope that made sense! I think you all will be glad I cut this version, and went with the other one instead. This one felt to predictable, and way too sad. You've been warned. Haha. **

**I hope to get over my writer's block soon!**

**Scene Number Five; Original Build-up to Fight Scene**

**POV; Sydney**

* * *

"Marcus?" I called, pushing the door open slowly. I flipped on a light switch I made out on the wall to my left. It illuminated the room, and I froze.

For an ex-Alchemist, and someone who vacuumed his car twice a week, his apartment sure was messy. Tables were overturned, and books were strewn out from their shelves. An expensive looking leather couch was completely flipped over onto its side, and my heels crunched on bits of glass as I walked inside.

This apartment wasn't messy. It was ransacked.

"Marcus?" I called again, my heartbeat starting to pick up. The more I looked around, the more I started to realize something had happened here. On the wall on the far side of the living room, I noticed the paint was scratched off in a downward swipe, which could've only been caused by claws . . . or a very sharp knife.

_"__R__evelare__,"_ I whispered, holding my hands out shakily. It was a spell I'd worked on with Ms. Terwilliger during lunch once, designed to reveal anyone in a room or house that was hiding from me, by illuminating them with an eerie glow. It showed no signs of life in this apartment whatsoever, which relieved and worried me at the same time. Where was Marcus? Had he been here when the apartment was ransacked? If so . . . what had happened to him?

I pushed myself further into the house. Marcus had a ground level apartment, which included a garage. If his Jaguar was still here and he wasn't, then I would take some sort of serious action. I passed a wrecked kitchen on my way to the door leading to the garage. I took a breath and turned the knob, feeling a rush of outside air hit me in the face. There, in the low-lighting of the garage was Marcus's Jaguar.

Feeling like it was pointless, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Marcus's number numbly. As I had suspected, there was no answer, and I could hear the phone ringing somewhere inside of his apartment.

I hung up and then dialed Ms. Terwilliger. I kept a constant visual, not letting my guard down. Whoever had been here could always come back.

After about four rings, I reached her voice mail.

"Ms. Terwilliger, it's Sydney." I decided not to tell her where I was, in the event that someone had gotten ahold of her phone, and could then locate me after hearing my message. Some might have seen it as paranoid, but with the cold shivers running down my spine, I certainly didn't. "Call me back when you get this message. It's important."

I disconnected and closed the door to the garage, walking back through the kitchen, and down a darkened hallway, that I expected led to Marcus's bedroom. This must've been where the altercation had started, because the door to his bedroom was flung open, like he'd heard noise and run out in the hallway and encountered an attacker.

I entered his bedroom cautiously, making my way over to a lamp in the corner of the room. I flipped it on, and light flooded the room, exposing book shelf upon book shelf, lining the walls. A desk light was already on, resting on desk located on one of the far walls against a window. Walking past Marcus's made up bed, I reached his desk and examined the materials laid out on it curiously.

An old spell book appeared to be opened, the script in it handwritten, a lot like Sarah's spell diary. Beside it looked like what appeared to be the back of a picture. Thinking maybe Marcus had been performing some sort of location spell, I flipped the picture over. And then I nearly dropped it.

The picture appeared to be pretty old, the edges frayed, and the color slightly faded. But that wasn't what had almost made me drop it. The man in the picture could've passed for Marcus's twin brother. He looked around Marcus's age at the time the picture had been taken, and had the exact same blonde hair. His smile was genuine and warm, and his deep blue eyes twinkled with happiness. It was then I noticed that the picture had been torn from another photo. The man's arm was cut off, but looked as though it was wrapped around someone . . .

As if it had a mind of its own, I felt my hand reach inside of my purse and pull out my picture of Sarah. I set her photo down on the desk, and attempted to match the torn end up with the torn end of the photo Marcus had. The two edges fit together perfectly, and it became clear that the man in Marcus's photo had his arm around my mother.

Jamie Sage's words, describing my birth-father came back to me then. _"Blue eyes . . . infuriatingly perfect blonde hair . . ."_

"Michael," I whispered incredulously, running my hands gently over the photo of my father. Tears welled up in my eyes, looking at my birth-parents side-by-side, happy. I had only known them briefly, and I'd been too young to remember specifics, but in that moment I realized I wanted them there with me. I would've given anything to have just a few seconds with either one of them.

What would they think of me if they were alive? They'd never wanted me to get involved in the magic, but had known it was inevitable. What would they say to me? What would I say to them? Would they be proud of me for trying to fight Simone or would they be disappointed that I was unintentionally putting the people I loved at risk? Would they have been okay with my feelings for a vampire? Would they have told me to leave the Alchemists like Marcus always did?

Marcus.

Why did Marcus look just like Michael, my father? There was only one explanation, and that was that he was related to Michael somehow. I flipped the spell book on Marcus's desk over, attempting to make out the name engraved on the front.

_Michael Finch. _Michael…_Finch?_

"Oh my God," I said aloud, shaking my head. No. This wasn't happening. Michael Finch, my father, and Sarah Anderson, my mother, couldn't be Marcus's parents too. Marcus couldn't be my brother. There was no way. Granted, we were both adopted, we both could perform magic, and we both had been given to Alchemist families, but still, those were all merely coincidences.

Marcus doesn't even have a sister, I told myself firmly, and then I stilled, remembering a conversation between us, what felt like years ago.

_"I'm sorry. Do you have any other family?" I'd asked, after he'd told me his birth parents were dead._

_"I have a sister," he'd said. "I've been searching for her for a couple of years."_

_I'd smiled, knowing the joy of having a sister. "I think you'll find her."_

_Marcus had looked up again then, smiling a genuine smile, his blue eyes lightening. "I think so too."_

And suddenly, so many pieces of the puzzle that was Marcus clicked into place. Why he was so eager to help me, why he always enjoyed tormenting Adrian, why he always looked out for me like he did . . .

He hadn't come back to Palm Springs to check on Clarence. He'd come back for me, because he didn't want me to be alone, because _I was his sister._

Stanton had always avoided my questions about Marcus, and I now knew she'd probably been very aware of whom he was. The Alchemists had been hiding my own brother, my own flesh and blood from me.

_Probably because they were afraid you'd betray them like he did,_ some voice in my head said.

Well, I decided bitterly, it looked like their worst fears were going to come true, because in that moment, _something inside of me snapped._

I was finished with their lies and their half-truths, their rules and their expectations, their controlling ways and their blind hatred, _I was done. _Red hot anger boiled within me, along with a new sense of independence that made me feel stronger than I'd ever felt. I wasn't going to be a captive to the lily on my cheek anymore. I was going to choose what I wanted, and I was going to do whatever was necessary to get it.

One day they would pay, I decided. They would pay for the witches and warlocks they'd probably killed, and they would pay for the lies they'd told me. They would pay for the lies they'd told every last one of us.

Life-altering decision aside, I still had a very big problem to deal with before I started turning into a freedom-writer.

My _brother_ was missing, and by looks of his ransacked apartment, he hadn't chosen to leave. He was in serious danger, and the last time I'd seen him…we hadn't left things on good terms. My heart began to race, and my stomach rose up into my throat. What if something happened to him and I never got the chance to set things right?

One problem at a time, Sydney, I thought. Act now, feel later.

I raced over to some of his bookshelves, and found some new spell ingredients along with a few defense potions. I stuffed some into my purse and on a whim, grabbed my father's spell book from Marcus's desk. I fled out of Marcus's apartment, knowing that it probably wasn't a safe place to be.

The only safe place I could think of was the only place that was completely magically protected, and that was Adrian's apartment. He wouldn't be there – at least I didn't think so – but he could still arrive home while I did the location spell to find Marcus, and then that would get him involved.

My phone rang suddenly, and I nearly swerved Latte off of the road, the ring startling me in my tense state.

"Hello?" I answered uneasily, not really sure who to expect.

"Is everything alright? I got your message."

I breathed a sigh of relief. It was Ms. Terwilliger. My next words came out in a rush.

"Not exactly, ma'am. I went to Marcus's apartment to ask him something, and his place was a wreck. It looked like there'd been some sort of serious altercation. I think he's in danger, and it's probably got something to do with Simone. We have to do something," I told her frantically. "We _have _too."

"Calm down," Ms. Terwilliger told me. "Come to my place. We'll figure something out from there."

I told her I'd be there in ten and hung up. Pushing the speed-limit a lot more than I was used too, I finished the drive to Ms. Terwilliger's nice residential street. I pulled into her driveway, and half-ran up to her front door, adrenaline pumping through my veins. It was dusk now, and the sun was lighting up the sky an eerie deep orange.

I pushed the front door open, and stepped inside, my heels clicking loudly on her hardwood floors. A few of her cats meowed at me and circled me. I hated it when they did that. They really did need to be trained better. Tonight they seemed worse than usual. Already on edge, I didn't have time for their eccentric behavior.

"Move," I grumbled at a heavy-set gray one, nudging it away with the toe of my heel.

"Ma'am?" I called, stepping further inside of the house. I had an eerie flashback to when I'd walked into Marcus's apartment.

_Everything's fine,_ I told myself. _You just spoke with Ms. Terwilliger on the phone a few minutes ago._

The cats continued to pester me in that insistent way and it was almost like they were trying to tell me something. It was then I noticed something staining some of the cats' fur. As I lowered my eyes further to the floor, I saw that down the long hallway there were scattered paw prints, tracking the same dark red liquid.

Blood, I realized.

Suddenly, I heard the front door slam behind me. On instinct I grabbed some of the potpourri from my purse and spun around, shouting the blindness incantation, at the same time an unfamiliar voice shouted one at me. The only way I was able to go was further back into the house. I took off down the hall, praying there was a back door somewhere back here. If there wasn't…I was heading right into my attackers trap.

I continued to shout defensive incantations over my shoulder as I ran deeper into the house, not daring to look straight at my attacker. Eventually, I found myself backed against a wall at the back of the house. To my left was the door to the room where I'd once performed a location spell to find Sonya. The bloody paw prints stopped at it.

In desperation, I grabbed a fire amulet from my bag, knocking my cell phone to the floor in the process. I shouted the same incantation I'd once used on Strigoi. I hit my attacker square in the head and she shrieked. This fire was larger than the one I'd cast before, and this woman was not an immortal vampire. The flames burned her skin, and I took my opportunity. I grabbed Marcus's pass out potion from my purse and flung it at her, willing her to pass out.

Almost instantaneously her screams ceased, and she fell back against the floor with a loud, hollow, thump. I pulled myself from my position on the wall and ran over to her. She had a dark red, full moon shaped necklace on and I didn't recognize her.

My survival instincts took over, silencing any moral qualms I might've had about what I was about to do. I grabbed Sarah's spell diary and flipped to the back, where I'd seen some of the . . . darker spells. I placed one hand on either of the Full Moon's legs, and took a deep breath before uttering the next incantation. I had to do this in case she woke up. I had to make sure she wasn't going to come after me again.

"_C__onfringet__ossa__." _ Two loud, spine-chilling snaps echoed throughout the house. Ignoring the fact that I had just magically broken two legs, I reached into the Full Moon's jean pocket and pulled out her cell phone, wanting to make sure than she wouldn't be able to contact anyone. She was going to be here for a while.

I put her phone into my purse, and made myself get up from the floor. My heart hammered as I prepared to open the door to the room I'd once performed the location spell in.

I took the plunge and flung the door open, some more of the pass out potion in my hand, in case I needed to use it. The room was silent, and all of the lights were on.

"Ma'am?" I gasped. Ms. Terwilliger was on the tiled floor, in a sitting position, leaning back against one of the walls. Her eyes were closed, and she didn't appear to be breathing.

"No, no, no, no." I fled over to her side, and knelt down next to her. There was no blood on her, so I prayed she was just unconscious. I felt her for a pulse, and sheer terror overtook me. I couldn't detect one. "Jackie?" I called her name desperately, hoping it might bring some sort of life to her. "You are not dead," I told her, as though she could hear me. Tears started to stream down my cheeks. This was a nightmare. This wasn't real life. But something told me my subconscious wasn't sick enough to dream up something this awful. This was real life. This was a living nightmare.

With shaking hands, I pulled Sarah's spell diary out of my purse and flipped through looking for some sort of spell, anything to help her. My biggest problem was that I didn't know what was wrong with Ms. Terwilliger. I saw no external injuries that indicated a weapon had been used, but then it certainly wasn't natural causes. My blood felt so icy, it was a wonder it was still able to pulse through my veins. This was the work of some sort of dark magic, some sort of evil even I didn't have a cure for. I stared at the woman, the teacher, the friend I had gotten coffee for so many times, and I felt a sob building up in my chest.

"Sydney?" A croaky voice suddenly called from somewhere else in the room.

I jerked my head toward the sound of the voice, and saw where the blood had been coming from.

"Marcus!" His name came out as a half-sob and I lept up from where I was kneeling next to Ms. Terwilliger. I sped to the other side of the room, where he was laying on the floor behind one of the lab tables. There were jagged cuts up and down his torso, and his arms. The main wound that caught my attention was the one on his leg, which appeared to have hit his Femoral artery. That was where all the blood had been coming from. The Femoral artery was one of the largest veins in the human body, and the amount of blood he'd lost was mind-blowing. He'd used his jacket to try and press down on the wound, and that had been the only thing that had kept him alive this long. It was remarkable he was still conscious. He needed help. Badly.

I put my knee against the bleeding wound, applying a lot more pressure than he could in his weakened state. I didn't bother asking him what happened. That was irrelevant at the moment. I remembered his phone was at home and mine had fallen out during the fight in the hall. Something told me, an ambulance wouldn't have been able to get here fast enough anyway. I looked across the room to where I'd left Sarah's spell book. I reached one hand out and shouted an incantation I'd come across once fiercely.

"Advenio!"

The book came flying into my hand, and I began to flip through it frantically, looking for something to stop bleeding.

"Do you know anything that will stop bleeding?" I asked him.

"Don't you think I would've tried it by now?" He remarked hoarsely.

Refusing to smack my quickly fading brother, I simply continued to flip through Sarah's spell book, praying for some sort of miracle.

"Sydney," Marcus said again. "Get out of here."

"I'm _not _going to leave you here," I growled.

"Simone will be back," he said. "She's already killed Jackie. Don't you dare try to be the hero and save me. Get yourself out. Don't let Jackie die in vain."

His words about Ms. Terwilliger sent sharp pains through my chest, but I wasn't changing my mind. "I'm _not _going to leave my brother," I told him fiercely.

I heard his intake of breath. When I stole a glance, his eyes were wide with wonder. "How? How do you know?"

I sighed, still flipping through Sarah's spell diary. "Not important right now."

Suddenly, Marcus began to cough into his hand. When he pulled it back, there was blood. He shook his head. "Sydney, get out of here. I'm as good as gone."

Panic flooded through me. "No, you aren't," I snapped. "If you keep talking like that, I'll use a spell to seal your mouth shut."

I felt his throaty laugh shake underneath me. "Sensitive."

"Always," I retorted. I was trying to appear calm for his sake, but I knew as well as he did that unless I could stop this bleeding, he wasn't going to make it.

"I've lived through enough," Marcus suddenly whispered. "I can go."

"Nope, not yet. Not until you help me leave the Alchemists."

Marcus grinned, despite the fact he had to be in inconsolable pain. "Are you lying to someone who's on their death bed? That's a sign of bad moral character. The Alchemists would be upset with you."

"I'm not lying. I seriously want you to help me."

Marcus was quiet after that, probably lost in thought. I continued to search through the spell book, but most of the spells it dealt with were all for attacks and defense. There was no healing involved. I could feel Marcus's breathing slowing.

"Sydney," he finally said, his voice barely audible now, "I'm sorry."

I jerked my head to him for just a second. "For what?"

He gave me a sad smile. "For pushing you so much. I just care about you. You're the only family I've got left that doesn't hate me." He gave a humorless laugh, and there were tears shining in his blue eyes, the eyes I'd always found familiar, probably because I'd used to look into them when I was little.

I felt tears begin to stream down my face again. "I'm sure your family doesn't hate you," I told him.

"How could they not? I'm a monster in their eyes."

"Well, the way they see the world is wrong. They hate what they don't understand. They don't hate you."

His eyes were starting to close, and this time I turned to God, needing a miracle my own magic wasn't strong enough to supply. I hung my head, letting my tears fall harder.

"Sage?" I suddenly heard a familiar voice calling. "Sage?"

My eyes flew open. "Adrian?" I shouted.

"Sage?" I could hear footsteps running down the hall now.

"Adrian!" I screamed. And there he was, flying through the doorway. I felt more sobs begin to build up in my chest just upon seeing him.

Adrian paused before kneeling at my side, taking in the scene. He eyed Marcus's body, his face hardening.

"Is he dead?" Adrian asked seriously.

"Not yet," I choked out. "But he doesn't have-"

"Move," Adrian ordered, and I obeyed, trusting him instantly. He knelt down, placing his palms on Marcus's bleeding wound. He stared at it, concentrating really hard on something.

He was healing him, I realized. I watched with awe, as Adrian worked his magic. I remembered the one time he'd tried to use it on me, and how I'd freaked out. Now that seemed so long ago, and so silly. Once Adrian was done with the wound on Marcus's leg, he moved his palms to the other cuts, but only the larger ones. I saw Marcus's breathing begin to return to normal, and his eyes slowly opened.

Watching the scene unfold, I realized in that moment, God had been listening to me. He had sent me a miracle.

He had sent me Adrian.

* * *

**Some things about this chapter were similar, like Marcus being injured, but other's were very different, like Ms. Terwilliger's death. I'm happier with the actual version I posted in the story, but I thought you all might like this one, just for the heck of it. As always, thanks for always being so supportive! I love you guys.**


	6. Chapter 6 Marcus Finch MPOV

**As my version of The Fiery Heart goes on, Marcus Finch is going to become a much more important character, not only to Sydney, but to Adrian. That being said, I wrote this to grow more comfortable with the character I've got written out for him. I thought that maybe you all might enjoy getting a glimpse inside of his head, so I decided to post it. I think he has strong similarities with Sydney and with Adrian, and that's what made this kind of interesting to write.**

**This is the chapter where he rescues and first meets Sydney, in his POV. If you haven't read my version of The Indigo Spell, you're going to be very confused, haha. I hope you guys enjoy this!**

**Scene Number Five; Chapter 2, MPOV**

**POV; Marcus**

"Excuse me."

I brushed passed a teenager with abnormally dilated pupils and the overwhelming scent of marijuana. I didn't know why he'd chosen a coffee shop to curb his high induced hunger, but it irritated me. People in general, actually irritated me. It was an exception for me to like someone. Most people met people and gave them a clean slate. I met people and gave them a slate so dirty, it took them so long to win me over, they just gave up. Perhaps that made me bitter and cynical.

Or maybe it made me cautious and realistic.

I ordered a mocha ice coffee, and took a seat at a table toward the very back of the restaurant. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. It wasn't that I didn't like it: a little attention was nice every once in a while. It was merely that I didn't want to risk it. Being on the run had its upsides and downsides. One of the more noticeable downsides was the constant feeling of being watched. I had been so paranoid when I first left the Alchemists life had been nearly unbearable. I'd taken up drinking as a way to cope with the paranoia, the guilt, and the heartbreak I'd been going through when I first left. The paranoia was always there, though not as bad as it had been. The guilt and the heartbreak hit me in waves.

I looked around the restaurant, watching the people come and go. In a table closer to the front, a teenage couple sat on the same side of the booth, whispering and then kissing. In another table, a family sat together. Two parents, laughed happily as they watched their son and their daughter bicker. Perhaps it was that table that I envied most. Maybe I envied it because I'd never have anything like that. Or maybe I envied it because I once had something like that, and then had it unjustly ripped from my hands.

I didn't remember much about my biological family. They'd given me away when I was about eight. They'd also used magic to tamper with my memories of them, to ensure that I wouldn't come looking for them. Once I'd started using magic at the age of eighteen, the memories had begun to return. They began in vague, wordless visions of random objects and places, and over time grew into vivid conversations and people.

I occasionally had memories of my father, who I bore great resemblance to. I had Michael Finch's square jaw, blonde hair, and blue eyes. I didn't know whether I looked at all like my mother or not; the images of her weren't as clear. The memories I had of my birth parents were maddening at times, because I knew that I'd never have the chance to see them again. They'd been murdered years ago, by an evil warlock. The only living relative I knew of was a younger sister, and so far I'd had no luck finding her.

A tingly sensation hit me suddenly, signaling the presence of another magic user like myself. I'd once belonged to a local coven, so it didn't surprise me that there were other witches and warlocks in the area. I looked up from my table, searching the room. My eyes fell on a young witch ordering a latte at the counter. She had dark blonde hair that fell a little ways down her back, and looked at least half a foot shorter than me. She was dressed very formally, and I got the impression she'd come from a business meeting, which was odd, considering how young she appeared. When she turned to leave, I nearly spilt my coffee all over myself.

Embroidered there, on her left cheek was a golden lily, the Alchemist symbol. There was only one Alchemist located in Palm Springs, and that Alchemist happened to be the person I'd traveled across the country to find. She also happened to my long-lost-sister.

I was frozen in place, unable to stop staring at her. I was glad she didn't notice me, because I was certain my expression was probably a bit odd. My mouth wasn't hanging open or anything, but I was pretty sure my eyes were bugging out of me head. What were the odds of this? What were the odds of running into her so soon? They were slim, that was sure. One could almost go as far to say I'd gotten lucky, but if history served as an indicator, I had just about the worst luck imaginable.

I was about to get up from my table and introduce myself, but I stopped myself. After all, what would I say to her?

_Hey, what's up sis? Glad we could finally meet._

I took another sip of my coffee, resolving not to introduce myself in such a brash way. Sydney left the coffee shop, and I clung to the fact that I would see her at the coven meeting on Friday. A friend of mine, Jackie, had promised to bring her. I had to be careful how I introduced myself to my sister. I didn't want to wear out my welcome.

Another tingly feeling began to spread throughout my body, signaling the close presence of yet another magic user. But this sensation I was getting, wasn't that of a friendly one. The sensation was darker . . . tainted. I recognized the feeling of being close to someone who had quite literally sold their soul for power.

Trying to move at a normal speed, I got up from my table and tossed my iced coffee in the trashcan. I followed my senses out of the coffee shop and into the parking lot. It was nearly ten o'clock, so the sun was completely gone, the only lights the street lamps. The parking lot was emptier than usual because of the late hour.

And then I caught sight of what had to be the cause of the darker tingly feeling. In front of me, Sydney was knelt, frozen into place on the asphalt; she was under an immobility spell. My eyes darted up to a man, a Full Moon, I recognized. Carl appeared to have the upper hand in this fight, and since he was attacking a girl, that also happened to be my only family, I decided to do the only thing I knew to do in that moment.

I decided to kick his ass.

The man smiled cruelly, seeming satisfied with himself. "This actually works better," he told Sydney, pleasantly. "Now I can call Simone to come here and get you herself."

Simone? No, I thought. Surely she wasn't after Sydney this soon.

"Tell her I said hi, while you're at it Carl," I called boldly. Suddenly, Carl didn't look so intimidating. He looked terrified. I felt a small smile forming on my lips.

I shouted a loud Latin incantation, and threw my hands out, feeling the power course through my veins. A rush of wind came up out of nowhere, and smacked Carl in the chest. He grunted and flew against the F150, landing on the hood. I heard Sydney scream behind me.

I walked over to where Carl lay on the hood. He continued to shake with fear and his nose was bloody. His eyes darting back and forth, looking from me to safety.

I leaned forward a little, as I told the Full Moon my next words. "Do try not to get blood on the hood. This _is_ a Ford F150." I paused. "Although, I wouldn't expect _you_ to have respect for such a trademark vehicle. This model looks like it was built in-"

"1989," Sydney blurted out behind me.

I chuckled. "Correct. It's been very well restored though."

Carl attempted to get up and I tsked him like one might a naughty child. I pushed him back down on the hood, hard, and my next words came out as a snarl. "Next time you see Simone, tell her she really has lowered her standards by going after a teenage girl. I would've expected better from a self-acclaimed villainess."

"Just wait until she finds out _you're_ here," Carl whispered, trying to sound bold but failing.

"Just go. And do not touch this girl again. Not unless you want me to kill you," I hissed, sliding Carl off the hood and nearly making him stumble. He staggered quickly over to his car and sped off. I shook my head. If my sister hadn't been right behind me, I would've just finished him off. It would've served him right. There was nothing worse than a coward.

Once I was certain I'd calmed myself down enough, I finally turned toward Sydney, getting my first up close view of her. She was a beautiful girl, and I couldn't help but wonder if she looked like our mother. I'd never seen Sarah. Sydney's eyes weren't blue like mine. They were a light, amber, brown.

She seemed to be staring at me as well, though I knew it was merely out of curiosity. She had no idea who I really was. In fact, I had probably scared the hell out of her. I muttered an incantation to counter the immobility spell Carl had put on her. She fell to the ground the rest of the way, just barely catching herself with her hands.

"That's one of the downsides to that form of an immobility spell. It has a sort of . . . crash," I told her quietly. She stood up and crossed her arms, staring me down.

"Who are you?" She asked, swallowing. She was trying extremely hard not to look afraid.

I was about to answer her when something to do with her face caught my eye. That God-forsaken lily jumped out at me again, and I felt my blood begin to boil.

"You _are_ an Alchemist," I stated. I'd known this of course, but I'd still hoped that maybe I'd been wrong.

"Yes. I am." She frowned. "Who are you?"

I ignored her question again. "Well, this certainly complicates things. Do you _like_ being an Alchemist?"

"Who _are_you?" She asked for the third time, looking a bit irritated.

"Of course you don't like being an _Alchemist_," I spat the last word.

"I-"

"Who would really? The Alchemists' 'noble' duty is built off of nothing more than hatred of what they don't care to understand. If one of their members dare question the "beliefs" the organization teaches they are shipped off to a torture chamber. As an Alchemist you are not only stripped of your right to care for vampires but your right to care for anything at all really." He paused. "The Alchemists don't teach the truth, they teach fear, and fear keeps their members from learning the truth."

She gaped at me, unable to find words right away. She remained stunned for a moment, and then said the words I would've once said when I was her age.

"You don't know anything about the Alchemists," she snapped.

I gave a harsh laugh. "Oh I know _everything_ about the Alchemists. I used to be one."

Understanding flashed in her eyes, so much so that I nearly took a step back.

"Marcus Finch," She breathed incredulously. "You're Marcus Finch."

Now _I_ was the surprised one. How on earth did she know of me? The only explanation was that some of the Warriors of Light had spilled something, which shouldn't have surprised me. They were so ignorant, they would certainly be proud to know something someone didn't.

"So it would seem," I finally said flatly. I looked her over, deciding she was safest with me. I nearly laughed at that thought. The fact that she was safest with me should've been a sign she needed to be more careful with whom she associated with.

"Come on. You're coming with me." I walked over to her and grabbed her arm, and then I began dragging her across the parking lot. Well, I'd never been one to beat around the bush. Being indecisive was not in my nature. Sure, I liked to take time with decisions, but once I made them, I didn't waver. The tattoo on my left cheek was proof of that.

"Hey, hey, hey!" She squirmed so much, that I flung her around so that I could look into her eyes.

"You're coming with me, Sydney," I said evenly.

"How do you know my name?" She asked, glaring.

I rolled my eyes. "You ask a lot of questions, even for a scientist."

"I'm _not_coming with you. I don't even _know_ you!" She shouted. I was about to respond that she didn't have a choice, when she reached inside of her purse for potpourri, and tossed some of it in my eyes, blinding me.

It was a sneaky move, but a foolish one. I was so powerful, it would've taken an entire room full of that stuff to slow me down enough to lose her.

I stifled a yawn and held my hand out, willing her to fall to the ground. I trapped her there, with an immobility spell of my own. She hung her head, frustrated that her daring escape had failed.

I sighed, feeling very tired all of the sudden. "I can't explain everything to you here. It's too dangerous. You're an intelligent girl, so why I can certainly understand the qualms you have about getting in a stranger's car, you also have a crazy witch after you who wants nothing more than to put your head on a stick. I know Jacqueline Terwilliger. I'm an ex-Alchemist, yes, a very powerful warlock, yes, but I promise you this Sydney: the last thing I want to do is hurt you."

She studied me for a long moment, weighing every possible outcome of this scenario. When she determined going with me was her best – not to mention only – option, she finally nodded.

When we first sat in the car she asked what would come of her car, to which I replied "someone will pick her up." She started to argue this, but I ignored her petulance. After a few more minutes of riding in silence, she finally asked where exactly we were going.

"I believe you know Clarence Donahue," I said, my eyes never leaving the road.

"How do you know . . . never mind. Yes, of course. We're going to his house?"

"It is the safest place around here. A Full Moon like Simone or any of her henchmen wouldn't dream of bothering a spirit user."

"Clarence is a spirit user?" She stared at me incredulously.

"Yes. Why else would he have an entire cabinet full of liquor? Why else would he slip in and out of coherence like he does? Well, not factoring in what happened with his son and all."

She was silent a few moments, processing all of this information. Something seemed to occur to her. "Why wouldn't a Full Moon bother a spirit user?"

"All vampires originally came from witches and warlocks. Vampirism started off as a curse but evolved into an actual gene. Spirit magic was given to the Moroi by the Crescents, as a way to balance out the evil the Full Moon's created when they made Strigoi."

"That's why spirit magic can restore a Strigoi," she whispered, her voice full of wonder.

I smiled, happy she had jumped to such a conclusion so quickly. I hadn't expected _my_ sister to be an air-head, but I was still relieved she was so quick. "Precisely. Everything in the world is made to be balanced. There is no evil that can destroy all good, and sadly, there is no good that can destroy all evil."

She was silent for the rest of the ride to Clarence's. She stared out of the window with a troubled expression. I resisted the urge to ask her what was wrong, knowing it was too soon to be considerate. I didn't want to overstep my boundaries.

When we arrived at Clarence's, I climbed out of my silver Jag and motioned for her to follow me inside. I walked ahead, remembering this house just like it was yesterday.

Clarence was sprawled out in his trusty recliner in the living room, dozing off.

I shook my head and then began walking to the kitchen. Sydney followed, casting an uneasy glance at the sleeping vampire.

I opened the fridge and pulled out two water bottles, handing one to her. We sat across from each other at the kitchen table and I tried to calm myself down further. My adrenaline was still pumping pretty heavily. Sydney appeared uncomfortable, which was almost funny. I was the one who really had something to be uncomfortable about.

"Clarence is a kind soul," I said earnestly, nodding my head back towards the living room. "It's horrible what happened with his son. I couldn't believe it when I heard. I used to know Lee." I said the last words quite stiffly. "I heard he's dead now? Well, can't say he didn't have it coming," I said harshly. "'An eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth . . .'" He had killed Tamara, so it was about time death found him. I hoped it had been excruciating and slow.

Sydney took a sip of her water. "He is dead," She finally conceded. "I asked Clarence about you because the Warriors told me you betrayed the Alchemists." She flinched at her last words, but continued. "Clarence said you saved him from the hunters, a few years back."

I felt my face shift to disgust. "The Warriors . . . a pure example of how humans can be monsters." I shook my head, trying to shake away bad memories. "But yeah, I did save Clarence." I peered at her curiously, the hint of a smile tugging on my lips. "I hear you gave quite the speech over at the warrior's compound about a month or so ago. You were trying to get them to release a Moroi woman they'd captured."

She frowned. "Yeah. It didn't work. I tried, though."

"Why?"

"Because it was the right thing to do," she said immediately.

I stared at her for a long moment. "You don't sound at all like your father."

Her face scrunched up at the mention. "You knew my father? Jared?"

I frowned this time. "We used to be inseparable."

"I didn't think he would be inseparable with an ex-Alchemist."

"Hence my use of the words 'used to be,'" I said wryly. "Jared worked with me when I was younger. I did a lot of my initial training with him." I tried to hide the bitterness in my tone, but failed. Sydney took another sip of her water, lost in thought.

"Does he treat you well, Jared?" I finally asked, unable to stop myself. He'd already made it nearly impossible for me to tolerate myself. I clung to the hope he hadn't done the same to her.

She nearly spit out her water. "What? Why would you ask something like that?"

"He never was the warmest person. He was cold, calculating. If the Alchemists said it was the truth, it was the truth." I sighed, thinking how best to phrase my next words. "I just hope he treats you better than he treated me."

I was no longer mad, but curious. "What did he do?"

I looked down, trying to hide the hatred I knew was clear in my eyes. "I don't want to stain your opinion of him with mine," I said matter-of-factly.

"No danger of that," she blurted out bitterly. I looked up then, livid. Sydney nearly flinched.

"So he doesn't treat you well," I growled, my words not a question. "Now why doesn't that surprise me?" I grumbled to himself.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

I looked at her, trying to swallow my anger. "Nothing."

She appeared to be growing irritated. "I keep asking you questions but you won't answer them."

"And you hate not knowing to answer to _any_ question." I deflected, growing a bit uneasy. There were some questions I couldn't answer. There were some questions I wasn't ready to answer.

"Yes, I do actually," she said stubbornly.

I sighed wearily. "I'm not at liberty to answer some of the questions you're asking, to put it bluntly."

She stared in disbelief. "Are you joking?"

"Yes," I responded flatly. "All ex-Alchemists are a barrel of laughs."

"Not nearly as funny as the Alchemists themselves though," she said wryly.

"I always thought I was considerably wittier than the rest." I shuddered. "At least I hope I was."

She smiled, and looked away, once again caught up in her own thougths. I couldn't stop studying her. I hadn't expected us to look like twins, but we weren't far from it, I realized.

"Thanks for saving me," she said, "even if you won't answer my questions. Ms. Terwilliger won't answer them either."

I nodded and ignored her comment about Jackie. "Anytime."

She bit her lip and then took a breath. "How did you do it? Escape the Alchemists, I mean."

"Another question," I muttered. "This one I can answer though." I got up from the table and walked over to the counter. I wetted a paper towel and began dabbing my left cheek with it. I turned and something caught my eye. A pang of relief went through me. I'd had a long day.

"Thank goodness. Clarence still has some coffee. Do you want a-"

"Yes," she piped.

I put the coffee on and continued dabbing my left cheek. When I moved the paper towel back, I revealed my indigo tattoo to her. Her eyes widened, as she examined it from afar.

I sat in the seat across from her again and pointed to the tattoo. "This. This is how I escaped them."

"You couldn't have just tattooed over the lily. There's got to be something more complex to the process than that." She rested her head in her hands.

"It's _much _more complex," I said seriously. "This tattoo consists of very powerful spell. It took me a year to prefect it."

She stared at it. "What kind of spell is it?"

"It's a concealment spell. A very powerful and specific one. The ink in the tattoo is charmed to hide me from humans with any vampire blood at all in their system."

"Like Alchemists, because of our lily tattoos," she mused.

"Correct. To other Alchemists, I don't look like myself. I look like a completely different person."

Her brow furrowed. "Then how come I could tell who you were?"

I smiled. "You're a witch. A powerful one, I might add. Jackie was right."

She looked down, not really sure whether to take my words as a complement or not.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's in your blood." I said, kindly. I understood the conflict going on inside of her head. I'd been there, and it was a dark, confusing, situation.

She looked up then, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean it's in my blood? My mom's not a witch. Jared's not a warlock."

_Oops. _

I quickly got up and set my coffee cup in the sink. "Well, I think I've answered enough questions for one night. I was hoping Clarence might wake up but I'll talk to him another time. Poor man needs his sleep. You stay at Amberwood, right?" I asked.

"Yes . . ." she answered, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Well, let's get you back," I said, taking her empty coffee mug and placing it in the sink.

We rode to Amberwood in silence. It wasn't until I was pulling into the parking lot that she spoke.

"Why are you here? Out of all the places for an ex-Alchemist to go, why would you come _here_, to Palm Springs?" The moonlight illuminated the gold of her lily, and I tried not to scoot back. It'd been a while since I'd been in such close quarters with an Alchemist. Oh well. She wasn't going to be one for much longer. Not if I had anything to say about it.

"Because," I said, leaving no room for argument in my voice, "you're getting the hell out of the Alchemists. And I'm going to help you."


End file.
